


And All The Pieces Fall

by icedpocarie



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Villain Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, eventual angst, kinda slowburn, will add more tags as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedpocarie/pseuds/icedpocarie
Summary: Adrien is just trying to survive as a part-time supermodel, a part-time supervillain, and a full-time mess.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	And All The Pieces Fall

“Adrien,” Nathalie unceremoniously barges in his door and says, “Your father wants you to assist today’s akuma.”

Adrien thinks it’s funny how Nathalie comes and goes to say this without any shame. She’s blatantly passing on the message of a supervillain with the same seriousness she has when she’s telling him today’s work schedule.

It says something about her to be so willing to become a supervillain’s accomplice, Adrien muses, since no one in their right mind would help the magical terrorist.

Then again, he really can’t say anything because _he’s_ helping too. But said magical terrorist is his father, so he assumes that he has more length to go for just for that reason alone.

He notices that Nathalie is still there, waiting for his response, so he flashes a thumbs-up as he replies, “Noted.”

It doesn’t even surprise him how Nathalie, like clockwork, nods to that and goes her merry way.

Or her serious way – stiff way, Plagg would usually say if he wasn’t too busy bulldozing his overpriced cheese like he does now.

From his place at the mini refrigerator, Plagg finally floats up, sluggish and bored, as he comments, “Your father is a slave driver.”

If it was Adrien from months ago – before all the magic and Miraculous and akuma happened – he would probably feel offended on his father’s behalf. Maybe he’ll even say something along the lines of _it’s not like that, he’s just… hardworking_.

But the Adrien of the present had to live through assisting midnight akumas on top of his usual workload as Gabriel’s – the fashion corporation – muse, and face, and main model, and now he just agrees with Plagg’s sentiments.

Not that his father being like that would even put a dent on Adrien’s loyalties. For what it was worth, he does believe that his father is doing the right thing.

True, he drives everyone around him up the wall, but could anyone really handle being both one of Paris’ most successful designer _and_ the terror of Paris, Hawkmoth, all at once if he _didn’t_ have the drive?

“Let’s just get your ass kicked by Ladybug and call it a day,” Plagg interrupts his thoughts as he flies to Adrien, smelling like the oddly comforting smell of expired cheese.

That’s a blunt way to summarize his everyday supervillain experience, but Adrien loves the dramatics he’d learned from being Chat Noir, so he plays up his mock-hurt as he states, “You have no trust in me, Plagg.”

“I have _way_ too much trust on you, kid.” Plagg retorts, and then he pulls at Adrien’s hair, “Now let’s just go assist the horror of the day before your old man blows up again.”

As always, there’s too much affection in Plagg’s words that Adrien tries not to notice. Those are thoughts for evenings where he can just be himself – Adrien, not Gabriel’s son, not the supermodel, not Chat Noir, but just Adrien, the kid who is confused and concerned and –

And well, now is not one of those evenings.

So even if he knows that as Plagg delicately put it, it was time to get his butt kicked by Ladybug, he calls out his transformation, “Plagg, claws out!”

The green light washes over him the same time as the magic does. Even after months of transforming, there is still the thrill of having superpowers. Granted, he’s not doing this thing right, but seeing how he still has his powers – and Plagg has yet to give him the cold shoulder – he’s probably doing fine enough.

Freedom and electricity run through his veins as Adrien gives way to Chat Noir and he goes out of his window.

Adrien thinks about Ladybug a lot.

Most of the time, it’s because he always ends up being tied to a lamppost while she focuses on going after the akuma, taking him out of the way first so that she doesn’t get any distractions.

When Adrien looks at the superheroine, Adrien both admires and envies her.

It’s easy to admire Ladybug.

This was evident enough by how the entire city – sans him, and his father, and maybe Nathalie - seems to worship the ground she walks on.

But that was because she’s the one saving the citizens – of course, they’d more than admire her.

And yet, even as the opposition, Adrien knows that Ladybug is amazing.

It wasn’t even just because her moves are powerful, her pace is fast, and most of her strategies are clever.

It wasn’t even just because she could handle both him – though Adrien has never fought and probably will never fight her at full power, but it was the thought that counts – and the akuma of the day.

Adrien’s admiration for Ladybug mostly stems from the fact that Ladybug was just so, _so_ resilient.

He knows that she knows that the Black Cat and the Ladybug are – were – supposed to be partners. They were supposed to be a set, and yet, Adrien had took the other side.

Adrien doesn’t even need to imagine the great hit at her morale, especially the first time they met, when instead of assisting _her_ , he accompanied the akuma instead.

Ladybug is the sole heroine of Paris, defending against two other magical beings.

And yet, like how the dawn breaks out every morning, like it was a fact of life, every single time there was an akuma, Ladybug would be there to take care of it.

But even as Adrien rightfully admires her, he envies her as much.

Because every single time he sees her – fighting for the right, the good, the objectively just – it makes him wonder about how things might have been if he, too, was a hero instead of a villain.

Adrien only barely regrets how his life is now, but there will always be the wonders and what ifs of what if Nathalie didn’t see Adrien transform? What if Adrien managed to enroll at the public school instead?

What would have happened if Adrien didn’t know the truth about his father – if he went on to be a reckless, naïve, and ignorant hero with only thoughts of freedom and justice on his mind?

These are thoughts that sometimes plague his mind when he sees Ladybug – and sometimes, when he lets the thought fester, he really, really wants to know what it means to be on the side he was originally meant to be.

But those are thoughts that he can’t entertain because he’s already chosen this path of villainy. Those are thoughts that he _shouldn’t_ entertain if he wants to keep his sanity.

He’s grounded back to reality when he falls flat on the floor as the small, magical ladybugs restore the city.

He grumbles as he stands up, watches as the civilians around him part like the Red Sea at the sight of him, and then he jumps to the roof, muttering, “Another day, another failure.”

Seeing as he doesn’t have any further schedule, he dawdled for a few hours outside – people watching, mostly, though sometimes he plays pranks like a five year-old to unsuspecting individuals – before he sees that the dusk already arrived.

He runs towards the direction of the mansion – hopes that his father isn’t too irritated by today’s fail – but on the way – whether because he was too tired or too fast – he accidentally crashes on a pot from a unsuspecting Parisian’s balcony.

He freezes on his tracks at the loud cracking sound and just as he was wondering whether to try to repair it or leave it be, the hatch on the floor suddenly opened.

_That_ startles him enough that he runs away just before the owner of the poor plant can see him.

Still, with his night vision, he sees enough of the owner - the girl with midnight blue hair and a concerned frown on her lips – before he jumps to the next roof.

He doesn’t know her and doesn’t plan to, but he hopes she forgives the clumsy cat that murdered her plants.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be the side fic to a marinette pov piece but here we are... it's mostly because that piece is looking to be 10x angstier and i just. yeah. also this is unbeta-ed so orz. i'd probably ask people from the super nice miraculous discord server to beta the other chapters when i finish them.
> 
> i know adrien's kinda?? ooc here but isn't that also the point? being a villain kinda messed him up. he's still going to be anice person, but he's just v confused at this point. probably. at least that's what i'm going for.
> 
> maaan, i'm supposed to be editing another fic but this piece had been in my mind since god knows how long so... hope u guys enjoyed!!!!


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